1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to hydraulic transport of solids and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, it relates to an improved coal slurry pipeline system enabling a plurality of hydraulic injection stations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes numerous teachings that relate to solids transport by slurry methods, and recent developments in the coal mining industry have seen many developments relating to hydraulically transported coal solids. One of the primary teachings with respect to coal slurry transportation is U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,548, "Method and Apparatus for Continuously Mining and Transporting Coal" as issued on July 12, 1966 in the name of Reichl. This patent deals with the transportation of newly mined coal from the mine face through mine corridors and requisite booster stations to a final depository or terminal station. The patent deals with the basic operation of slurry forming and transportation under hydraulic pressure from a single mine face, an art which has been highly developed since. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,976 in the name of Anderson et al. was found to be of interest because it dealt with a single circulating slurry line capable of forming stable suspensions of iron ore, the circulating system including two parallel arrayed hopper tanks providing granulated input to the concentration system. The invention is primarily directed to the transportation of granular iron ore by forming a stable suspension of iron ore, bentonite and water.